COVID PM: Talking vaccine side effects + California is well on its way
Happy Friday, folks — I’m happy to report that my brief vaccine No. 1 malaise was very temporary.
I awoke with a lingering headache this morning, but a cup of coffee and a dip in the chilly ocean seemed to shake me back to normalcy.
Even the shoulder pain that came on late in the day — with the headache — after a morning dose of Moderna had subsided.
To that end, it’s interesting to know that my experience seems to fall within the majority of others locally. We had 52 responses to our survey on vaccine side effects and, as you can see below, 59.6% had a similar tale to tell.
I’m sure glad not to have fallen in among the 11.5% that faced severe symptoms that lasted several days.
And now to the best of the Friday headlines ...
Half of the state at least partially vaccinated
VACCINE WATCH: More than half of California adults have now received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, a promising milestone that comes as the state is now inoculating as wide a swath of its residents as possible. More on that from the LA Times here.
A COVID vaccine without the needle?
VACCINE WATCH: Soon vaccines could be taken orally as a capsule that could be swallowed, as a tablet that dissolves under the tongue or as a nasal spray. Such formulations would not require refrigeration, nor would they need healthcare workers to administer them. More from the LAT on this developing phenomenon.
Quick Take
Buying locally produced food and goods benefits you and your community in more ways than you think.
The shock and reality of catching COVID after being vaccinated
PANDEMIC LIFE: At least 5,800 people of the tens of millions of people who have received a COVID vaccine have fallen ill or tested positive for the virus two weeks or more after being fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I now tell everyone, including my colleagues, not to let their guard down.” More on this from Kaiser Health News.
Will pausing the J&J save lives or cost them?
VACCINE WATCH: It’s been made clear that even a brief pause in the use of one of three authorized vaccines will leave some Americans vulnerable to a serious case of COVID-19. Some will surely join the more than 565,000 Americans who have died of the disease. But some who would have gotten the vaccine and gone on to develop a blood clot might also have died. The LAT explores further here.
Quick Take
Over the years, programs at Life Lab have emerged into one of the premier educational resources for gardening in the...
More from here & elsewhere
➤ Doctors home in on cause of blood clots potentially linked with Covid-19 vaccines (CNN)
➤ J&J reportedly sought help from rivals after blood clot concerns emerged (CNN)
➤ Coronavirus FAQ: You’re Vaccinated. Cool! Now About Those ‘Breakthrough’ Infections... (NPR)
➤ California hospitality workers laid off during COVID-19 pandemic get rehire rights (LA Times)
➤ What you need to do before and after you get your COVID-19 vaccine (SF Gate)
➤ Signs of recovery as California adds jobs for 2nd month (SF Gate)
➤ Gavin Newsom can’t guarantee California schools will be open in the fall. Why not? (SF Gate)
➤ Former CDC chief: Think diners, dentists and dollar stores. Make COVID vaccines easy to get. (USA Today)
Have a great weekend and we’ll see you all on Monday!
Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor